Enzo Maresca, Chelsea manager, has provided an update on the fitness of Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho ahead of Sunday’s game against Arsenal. However, he confirmed that both players would be absent from the Conference League clash with Noah scheduled for Thursday.
Palmer is not registered for the Conference League group phase. At his pre-match press conference, Maresca confirmed that the England international picked up a knock in their last match against Manchester United. His condition will be closely monitored before deciding his participation in Sunday’s game against Arsenal. Despite not training yesterday due to this injury, there is hope within the team that Palmer will participate in today's session as they prepare for their weekend fixture.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea manager, said:
‘Cole didn’t train yesterday so we will see today if he can train with us, We hope [he will be available for Sunday]. We need to wait and see and then decide.
‘Jadon is recovering from illness but he also had a knock in a session. Tomorrow he is out but we will see if he can be available for Sunday’s game, otherwise it will be after the international break for him. That is it, the rest are all available apart from those players not involved in the Conference League squad.’
Sancho will also miss out on Chelsea's match against Noah tomorrow night. The winger was unable to play against his parent club United last Sunday due to contractual obligations. Like Palmer, Maresca hopes that Sancho can make a return in time for their match against Arsenal later this week.
Squad update ahead of big clash
Despite these key absences and those players who are not registered for the Conference League squad like Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, Maresca still has an otherwise fully-fit squad at his disposal. He confirmed plans to rotate his squad for this game to manage player workload during what promises to be a busy period.
Maresca clarified that there are specific reasons behind these sweeping changes seen from competition to competition. He emphasized each player in his squad deserves playing time based on merit and performance.
Enzo Maresca added:
‘We don’t make changes just because of a big game on Sunday [Arsenal], Since the start of the season, we make changes because we have 24 or 25 players all fit and good enough to play in different competitions. This is why we are making changes and probably tomorrow we are making changes too.
'Just because someone plays in the Premier League, that doesn’t mean they won’t play in the Conference League. And the same goes for those who have been playing in the Conference League, they will still play in the Premier League. We have so many games in a long, hard season so for sure players will play across the Premier League, the Conference League, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. We try to use all of these players because we will need them over the season.’
While fans may miss seeing some familiar faces during Thursday’s clash with Noah due to injuries or registration issues, they can look forward with anticipation towards Sunday’s game where hopefully both Palmer and Sancho will make their return.
